Advocacy plays a central role in shaping health care policy and protecting physicians’ ability to care for patients, according to the Colorado Medical Society (CMS). In a recent statement, CMS leadership emphasized that advocacy is considered the top benefit of membership within the organization and impacts all Colorado physicians, regardless of whether they are members.
“Our CMS lobbyist, Dan Jablan, explains that health care policy is like your New Year’s resolutions. These are high-level goals that you set to improve your life, like being healthier or getting finances under control. Advocacy is the work you put in to achieve that policy. In the resolutions example, this is committing to a regular fitness class, eating fewer processed foods, putting aside more in savings.”
CMS officials noted that sustained efforts over time are necessary for meaningful change. “You’re not going to achieve your year’s goal of becoming healthier if you go on one run. Physician advocacy also requires returning to the work again and again. This consistency is what makes policies to improve patient care a reality, whether it’s dismantling barriers to care or defending the integrity of peer review. Our work on prior authorization took years of relationship building, surveys, data analysis, and collecting stories from patients and physicians, plus two sessions with an active bill.”
The society highlighted past legislative battles as examples of long-term advocacy paying off. For instance, efforts around medical liability caps date back decades: “Similarly, last session’s liability caps battle was decades in the making. CMS leaders championed the original tort reforms back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and founded Copic when other liability insurance carriers left the state and insurance premiums skyrocketed. From that point on, the Colorado Medical Society closely monitored all threats to our stable medical liability climate – and there are many every single session.”
Twelve years ago saw another coalition-building effort: “Then 12 years ago, we helped bring together physicians and the business community to form Coloradans Protecting Patient Access (CPPA) that continued this critical work. It came to a boiling point last session when the Colorado Medical Society, within the CPPA coalition, had the fight of our lives as trial attorneys attempted to eliminate all caps on liability and eliminate confidentiality in peer review. We came through that fight keeping a cap and peer review intact, and avoided a costly ballot fight.”
CMS pointed out previous successes such as advocating for public health measures: “CMS regularly builds coalitions to pass good policy. Nearly 20 years ago, we were entrenched in the fight to ban smoking in indoor public spaces, facing significant backlash from businesses and the tobacco industry. Yet through bipartisan support and relentless advocacy we succeeded in making a lasting impact on public health with the passage of the Colorado Clean Air Act.”
The personal nature of advocacy was also stressed: “For me advocacy is personal. It’s about using my expertise as a physician to inform decision-makers and shape better policies. It’s about privilege walking into Capitol engaging directly with legislators having my voice heard Building relationships with policymakers sharing perspective practicing physicians—even when we disagree—demonstrates why physicians’ involvement crucial Legislators don’t always have deep understanding evidence-based medicine it’s our job bridge gap”
Finally CMS called upon all Colorado physicians to consider membership growth as vital for continued effective advocacy: “Here’s call membership I promised Advocacy doesn’t happen vacuum requires numbers resources strategic action Membership growth key priority organization because strength voice legislature directly tied size membership resources can allocate advocacy efforts”
